


First Noel

by kijikun



Series: Some Assembly Required [5]
Category: Captain America (Comics), Iron Man (Comic), Marvel 616
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon, Christmas, Kid Fic, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-12-20
Updated: 2011-12-21
Packaged: 2017-10-27 15:07:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,707
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/297155
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kijikun/pseuds/kijikun
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Maria's first Christmas.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

It’s the beginning of December on a cold snowy evening that Tony thinks is a good time to bring up the subject with Steve. After all they survived Thanksgiving with Maria, this can’t be that much harder?

Oh, who is he kidding? Facing Doom-bots without his armor would probably be easier.

His head is resting on Steve chest and he’s listening the quiet heart beat that he’s forever grateful for. “We probably should start getting Maria prepared for Christmas.”

Steve’s quiet for a moment. “She probably knows about it. If from Franklin talking about it at least.”

“I know she probably _knows_ about it. But she’s never had one before,” Tony points out. “It’s different.”

Steve fingers tangle in Tony’s short hair. “You’re worried it’ll be too much for her?”

“I just worry,” Tony laughs softly. “About everything when it comes to her. Christmas is just another thing on the list.”

“We’ll sit her down and talk to her about it. If we need to we can have Christmas be just close family,” Steve suggests.

Tony shakes his head slightly. “What about the Avengers?” He still doesn’t feel like many of the Avengers have forgiven him for his part in rapidly being repealed Registration act. He’s pretty sure he’ll be blamed from keeping Steve away from any Avenger Christmas party or dinner.

“They’ll understand. This is about family and you and Maria are mine,” Steve says firmly. “If Maria needs just us to handle Christmas, then that’s what will happen.”

Tony curls his arm a little tighter around Steve’s middle. “I’ll talk to her in the morning about it. If I’m lucky Franklin has been talking about it to her.”

“If we’re not lucky Franklin will have mentioned Santa Claus,” Steve points out in an amused tone.

Tony groans softly. “If that’s the case, _you_ get to explain Santa to her,” Tony declares. “I had to handle Halloween.”

***

“We’d like to celebrate Christmas with you this year,” Tony tells Maria as they work side by side in the workshop. She working on something from Franklin, and as long as it’s not another working light saber -- he’s still not sure how the kids managed that and neither is Reed-- he’s fine with it.

“Christmas,” Maria repeats as if tasting the word. “Franklin’s talked about this Holiday.”

Tony sighs in relief. That makes this a little easier. “What did he tell you about it?”

“That it happens in December,” Maria tells him. “People exchange gifts with family and friends. He tried to explain something about a tree but I’m not sure I understand the logic of cutting down a tree and putting it inside.”

“It’s one of those tradition things we talked about,” Tony says, and hands her a different tool. “Here try this one, I think it’ll work better for what you're doing.”

Maria’s brow wrinkles slightly. “Tradition doesn’t seem very logical.”

“No, it often isn’t,” Tony agrees. “But tradition provides stability, people like that.”

Maria nods. Tony knows stability is something Maria understands and craves. She doesn’t do well with upsets to her routine, which is why holidays like Christmas worry him. “Would we have a tree?”

“If you’d like one,” Tony tells her, keeping his tone neutral. She’ll agree to things still just on the basis of thinking Tony wants her to agree.

“What would we do with it?” she asks. “Franklin was unclear on that part.”

Tony suspects he wasn’t, but Maria wants Tony’s take on things. “We’d probably decorate it with things like lights and ornaments. Jarvis might let you help him make popcorn garland,” Tony tells her. “Then we’d put presents under the tree.”

Maria tilts her head to the side, focused on her project in front of her. “What are ornaments for a tree?” she asks curiously.

“Just about anything,” Tony tells her. “One year I put screw drivers and circuit boards on the tree. The rest of the Avengers were not amused.”

Her focus shifts to him, as he knew it would, she loves hearing about the Avengers. “Would I be allowed to help decorate the tree?” she asks after a moments hesitation.

Tony nods. “Of course. Steve and Jarvis will help too, if that’s okay?”

Maria seems to consider this. “If they wish to help and it’s permissible to you,” she allows.

Tony smiles and ruffles her hair. “Did Franklin explain about Christmas morning?”

“He said that’s when the gifts are opened,” Maria tells him, a worried look crosses her face. “I don’t have any presents I can give anyone.”

“Don’t worry about that, me or Jarvis will take you shopping so you can buy presents for whoever you like,” Tony assures her.

Maria tilts her head again. “Anyone?”

“If you want to give them a gift then we’ll get a present for them,” Tony tells her. “I was thinking of keeping Christmas morning to just me, Steve, you, and Jarvis. If you feel up to it we could visit the Avengers or the Richards later in the day.”

“That would be acceptable,” Maria answers, then bites her lip. “When can we get a tree?”

Tony smiles, this has gone better than he could have hoped. “Whenever you’d like, genius.”

***

Getting the tree is a small adventure in itself. While Steve says there are perfectly good Christmas tree farms in New York, Tony flies them into North Carolina.

“Fraser firs are the best Christmas trees,” Tony says stubbornly. “Plus, this place as a hay maze, apple cider, and farm animals. It’ll be an experience for Maria.”

“I think you're more excited than she is,” Steve teases him, leaning across his seat to steal a kiss.

Tony raises his chin. “I’m a sophisticated man of business,” Tony says, in a tone of mock affront.

Steve laughs. “You’re an over grown eight year old,” he accuses affectionately.

Tony sticks out his tongue at Steve. “Am not.

Steve just laughs and ducks in for another kiss.

The idea of the Christmas tree farm was better than Tony expected. Maria it seems likes mazes.

“I always finished them first,” Maria tells Tony proudly as they wind there way through the hay maze.

Tony’s worried for a moment that this will bring back memories better left untouched, but Maria seems otherwise fine. She’s visibility delighted when at the end she’s given a reward for finishing the maze. It’s just a gold sticker and a cup of hot apple cider, but Maria walks about as if on cloud nine.

“I think I liked that maze best,” she confines softly to Tony.

He takes her hand and squeezes it gently. “I’m glad you liked it,” he tells her and he is.

Maria’s standoffish about the farm animals. “They might bite,” Maria explains eyeing them in a manner that’s much too wary for a nine year old.

Eventually they do coax her into giving a sugar cube to a horse and a carrot to a bunny.

“Why do horses eat sugar cubes?” Maria asks later. “It doesn’t seem like something they’d find in the wild.”

“I’m not sure,” Tony tells her. “We can look it up when we get home.” He could look it up now with Extremis but he likes watching her discover new information on her own. Plus he’s promised Steve not to be ‘hooked in’ quite so often. Just because he can do twenty different things just with his brain, doesn’t mean he needs too.

Tony makes a mental note to try and expose her to more animals. Nature wasn’t something they prepared Maria for it seems, but Tony’s glad of that. It gives him a blank slate to work with.

They fly back that evening with a Christmas tree, several jugs of cider, and a very sleepily little girl. Maria falls asleep half way through the flight short flight home, a drawing of a the bunny half done in front of her.

Tony covers her with a blanket and strokes her hair. “I’m glad today went well,” he tells Steve. “I didn’t think about the maze being a problem.”

“I didn’t either,” Steve says. “Don’t worry about it now, it went fine.”

Tony still worries. He doesn’t ever think he’ll not worry about screwing up with Maria. “I guess you’re right,” he allows. “It was a good day overall.”

“It was,” Steve tells him with a smile. “Concentrate on that and not everything that could have gone wrong.”

Tony laughs. “Worrying about everything that could have gone wrong is what I excel in.”

“And Extremis doesn't help with that,” Steve sighs, then holds up his hands. “I don’t want to fight about it, Tony. Just enjoy that it was a good day, okay?”

Tony retakes his seat and gives Steve a weak smile. “Okay.”

“By the way, Tony?”

“Yeah?”

“No circuit boards on the tree this year, please?” Steve asks.

Tony just laughs.


	2. Chapter 2

Maria studies the presents under the tree with a small frown. She’s supposed to be working on math problems Tony assigned her, but her attention keeps going back to the tree and the presents under it.

“Is something the matter, Maria?” Jarvis asks, coming out with a plate of cookies and a glass of milk for her.

“Tony took me shopping for presents this morning,” Maria says carefully. She’s never yet had a reprimand for not being attentive to her work, but she doesn’t want to start so close to something so important.

“So, I heard,” Jarvis says, setting the milk and cookies down by her. “Is something wrong with one of them?”

Maria shakes her head. “No, all the presents we bought were acceptable for those that will receive them,” she tells him.

Jarvis sits down beside her. She still has problems understand Jarvis’ place in the household. He’s more than what she’s learned a butler is. Tony says he’s family and that she’s family too. It’s so hard to understand sometimes what Tony means.

“You know you can speak your mind without getting in trouble,” Jarvis tells her gently.

Maria bites her lip and looks from her math to him. “I don’t have anything to give Tony.”

Jarvis nods. “I can see your problem,” he says. “If you like we can go buy one for him. I’m sure together we can find something that suits.”  
That is an option, but -- “Franklin makes gifts for his parents,” Maria ventures. “Should I not make something for Tony?”

“Would you like to make something for Anthony?” Jarvis asks, folding his hands.

Maria’s not sure. She just knows she wants something for Tony under the tree. “I’m not sure,” she admits hesitantly. “I’m not sure what the protocol is.”

“Maria, anything you give to Anthony, he will love,” Jarvis assures her. “If you’d like to make him something perhaps you could draw something for him. You’re very good at art.”

She hadn’t thought of that. Maybe -- an idea takes root. She thinks of Steve’s drawing of the Avengers in the hallway and the one in Tony’s workshop. Yes, that would be perfect. “I think that might be acceptable. Thank you, Jarvis.”

Jarvis pats her shoulder in an affectionate way. “You’re more than welcome, Maria.”

 

***

 

“Morning, genius,” Tony says, shaking Maria softly. He feels more like the excited child waiting to open presents then the parent. “Merry Christmas.”

Maria rubs her eyes. “Morning, Tony. Merry Christmas.”

“Are you ready to open presents?” Tony asks her, ruffling her hair.

Maria rubs her eyes again. “Shouldn’t we eat breakfast first?”

“Nope, not on Christmas morning,” Tony tells her. A normal child would be up out of bed clamoring to open her presents, but Maria isn’t normal. “Come on.”

Maria climbs out of bed putting on her slipper. Tony offers her his hand. “Are there presents for me?” she asks.

Tony laughs. “Of course there are. Some from me and Steve, some from Jarvis, some from our other friends, and of course some the Richards.”

She frowns. “But when I put yours and Steve’s under the tree there weren’t any.”

Tony squeezes her hand. “That’s part of Christmas. You go to bed and then in the morning, presents!”

Maria smiles shyly. “Can we have chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast, since it is a special occasion.”

“Anything you want for breakfast this morning we can have,” Tony assures her.

When they get out into the living room her eyes grow wide. “Those are all for me?” she asks looking at the pile of new presents that have appeared over night.

Steve laughs, looking relaxed and happy in his sleep pants and t-shirt. Tony likes that the kept this morning for just them. “If they have your name on them, then they’re yours.”

“Where’s Jarvis?” Maria asks, looking around the room.

“He went to visit Aunt May, he’ll be back soon,” Tony assures her. “He won’t mind if you open some presents without him.”

Maria bites her bottom lip, she because more easy to read as the years gone on. The tells that were once so small are more pronounced. Tony takes it as a sign of how _safe_ she feels with him and Steve. “If you say it’s okay.”

Steve bends down and pulls a present from under the tree. “Why don’t you open this one first,” he tells her handing her the box. “It’s from me.”

Tony loops an arm around Steve’s waist and watches as she very methodical starts unwrapping the present. “Don’t worry, she’ll like it,” he assures Steve.

He wonders if this is how his parents felt when he opened gifts as a child. Excited, happy, nervous. And oh how he wishes his mother were here to see her granddaughter on her first Christmas.

***

Maria’s curled up asleep between Tony and Steve still in her red Christmas dress. Her new stuffed bear is tucked under her arm. Tony is still surprised she took to it so quickly, but Jarvis had insisted that all children instinctual know what to do with a stuffed animal. On the floor lays her new sketch book, a sketch of the tree half done. The Muppet Christmas Carol is playing in the background.

Sitting on the table is a drawing of him, Steve, and Maria -- Maria’s gift to him. He already knows where he’s going to put it, in his office where he can see it everyday.

Tony thinks it’s the best gift he’s gotten in years.

“I think Christmas was a success,” Tony says softly, stroking her hair.

Steve smiles, his arm is curled around Tony. “I think so. She seemed to have fun.”

“You know I was worried it would overwhelm her at first,” Tony confesses. “I’m glad I listened to you and Susan.”

Steve kisses the side of Tony’s head. “You’re protective of her, Tony, and you have good reason to be.”

Tony looks down at the sleeping child and feels that clutching in his chest like he always does when he thinks of the life she’s led. “She should have had nine other Christmas’. She should have known how to act on Christmas morning. I hate them for what they stole from her.”

“She’s getting to have it now and we have many more Christmas’ with her to come,” Steve reassures him. “Neither of us can change what happened to her. We just have to do our best to give her a happy childhood now.”

Tony nods. Things might be more complicated with Maria around but he wouldn’t trade it for the world. “We did give her a happy Christmas.”

“We did,” Steve agrees. “You gave me a happy one as well.”

“That’s a mutual feeling. Today -- it felt like old times. In the mansion,” Tony tells Steve, with a sad smile.

Steve squeezes his shoulder gently. “It felt like being home you mean?”

Tony laughs softly, he guess yes that’s what it felt like. “I guess the tower is starting to feel like home. With you here and Maria. It’ll never be what it was --”

“But we can make new happy memories,” Steve finishes for him. He leans over, careful of Maria and kisses Tony on the lips. “Merry Christmas, Tony.”

“Merry Christmas, Steve,” Tony whispers back.

Maria yawns and stirs between them. “Merry Christmas,” she says sleepily.

Tony can’t think of a merrier one.


End file.
